


The Wolf Teaches

by Ladyhawk_lhflu



Series: The Two Sides of the Moon [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alpha Remus Lupin, M/M, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-10-27 19:13:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20765519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladyhawk_lhflu/pseuds/Ladyhawk_lhflu
Summary: The full moon will shine in a few hours. But first, a lesson in strength.





	The Wolf Teaches

**Author's Note:**

> If you're musically inclined, try reading this while listening to "Your Song" by Elton John. The mood of the song influenced the mood of this fic.

Remus was able to go to his morning classes without mishap after his nervous sickness and planning of the Marauder's first prank. The afternoon? Well, he made it to potions, but he couldn't stay. The wolf had no need for classes. At least, not the type where he was the one learning.

Peter caught Remus drifting off. Peter wasn't the most observant boy, but he knew Remus paid attention to everything the teachers said. So he shook Remus to wake him up. But when the other boy turned his head to let Peter see how his eyes changed, Peter nearly knocked over a table trying to get to Sirius. The composure he had had when the wolf's eyes had appeared last night was nowhere in reach. He wasn't scared of being with the wolf alone. He was just concerned for his friend. There were a lot of warnings in that book about when the wolf took over. Remus would be safer away from people, Peter was sure of it.

Sirius went over to Remus the moment Peter told him the wolf had surfaced. Unlike Peter, the Black heir (or maybe not, his mother kept threatening to disown him) had no fear of the beast. But he knew he had to get Remus out of the dungeons, fast. Even if Remus had some control, it could be disastrous. Potions was his worst subject. It would be easy for him to make mistakes.

And if the wolf felt threatened, well potion ingredients were sometimes handy weapons. So it was time to take Remus back to their room. Sirius whispered to James, James grabbed Peter as his brewing partner (as much as he hated it. Peter screwed up almost as much as Remus, and Peter made things explode. The potions Remus made usually just refused to work.). Then Sirius came over to Remus and put his hand gently on the other boy's stomach. "Are you still sick?"

Sirius hoped that his hand would give Remus (or the wolf) a hint as to what to do so they could get out of there. He breathed a sigh of relief when Remus bent over and moaned softly.

So Sirius motioned to Professor Slughorn and told him how Remus had insisted on coming to class even though he had been very sick this morning. That was enough to have Slughorn backing away from them and shooing them off to the infirmary.

Madame Pomfrey couldn't do anything for Remus at that point. So Sirius took him straight to their dorm room. 

He settled Remus into the desk chair that Remus had claimed first year. Crouching down so he could look up into the lycanthrope's face, he searched his mind to recall the passages he had read in the Restricted section a few days ago. He figured that the words he had read about how to escape an enraged werewolf who was still human would also work to signal the wolf that he was safe. 'Nonthreatening stance, soft words, minimal eye contact. Keep your head lowered. Of course, skip the running part.' 

The dark haired boy met the eyes of his friend, but only for a second. Just long enough for him to confirm that the wolf was in control. Then, acting on the instinct that said Remus must have been scared and worried, he whispered, "I'm here for you. It'll be okay. I'll keep others away, so nobody gets hurt. I'll take you to Madame Pomfrey when it's time." He laid a hand on the tense hand resting on the other boy's thigh. "When is that?"

"Seven o'clock," Remus said in a rush as he pushed the wolf aside for a moment. "But you could get hurt before then. You need to leave! I can't control the wolf well. And it wants you for some reason. I can feel it pulling at me. Please, Sirius, go back to class!"

Sirius met the distressed hazel eyes, then shook his head. "I'll be fine. Just give me a little time to calm him down. I bet if you do, things will be a little better for you."

"But..." Remus wanted to run into the bathroom. He felt sick. But Sirius was right. If they could put the wolf in a good mood, it wouldn't be so rough on him later. He took a deep breath. He knew what he had to do, even though it was very frightening. If something went wrong, it could be disastrous. 

Sirius knelt properly as he watched his friend fight with himself. To have to worry about life and death every month, for yourself and everyone around you, had to be excruciating. The wolf had taught Remus to be scared of his shadow, because the beast was his shadow. And it could kill without pause, without remorse.

Even accepting help could potentially be dangerous. Sirius could see the doubt flit across the solemn face. He didn't blame Remus for it. He hadn't been the most reliable person. School came easy to him, mostly, so homework wasn't high on his list of priorities. His friends also were put aside on occasion, when he was distracted by someone who caught his eye or by his family's incessant insults.

This was different. This was important. More important than schoolwork. More important than avoiding his parents. Just as important as his friendship with James, but in this moment, he would even push James away. Of course, the other boy would understand. Because this was about keeping Remus *alive*.

It took a lot of trust from Remus, however. So when Remus intoned with authority, "You will take me to Madame Pomfrey on time," Sirius bowed his head further, almost to the black oxfords in front of him. Then he dared a look up. The eyes before him were hazel at the moment, so he recalled the words James spoke that morning as he replied, "I solemnly swear I will take you to the infirmary on time."

"And you will run if the wolf hurts you," Remus said as he grabbed Sirius by the hair and pulled his head back. That was when Sirius realized that the wolf wasn't the only Alpha in the room. Remus fought the wolf many times during each month. So Remus had to have a will as strong as the wolf's. He used it to protect everyone around him.

He obviously had found that sometimes brute strength was needed to tame the beast within, or to keep Sirius focused on his words. It wasn't needed at the moment. Every cell in the dark haired boy's body was focused on Remus. But the urgency of the message came through with the pain on his scalp. His safety was of high importance to Remus. 

"I promise, Moony," Sirius said softly. Then the hand in his hair released its tension. So he reached up to stroke the other boy's cheek. "You can let go now. Rest. Gather your strength. You'll need it in the morning. I'll call to you when the wolf has settled."

Remus enfolded the hand on his cheek into his own warm hand. "Remember to leave if the wolf doesn't behave." Remus wanted to do more to show Sirius how much this meant to him. He even knew how he wanted to do it. But he wasn't sure if Sirius liked to kiss boys. So he just released his hold on the wolf.

This was the first time since Remus was a young child that the wolf didn't have to fight his host to get a glimpse of the world from human eyes. But the beautiful one found a way to give to the host and to him at the same time. The wolf stroked the dark curls before him in benediction. The beautiful one had done well.

The wolf was guided to softness and comfort. The restricting cloths around him were removed. Then the beautiful one waited before him, not knowing what to do next. But he was willing. The wolf could see the eagerness in those silver eyes, so like the precious moon.

So the wolf pulled at his subject and enfolded him in an embrace. Skin to skin would have been better, but the host's worry about the beautiful one's preferred type of mate was legitimate. So it was necessary to wait. The wolf didn't require a mate, yet. There was time to learn if this boy would make an adequate one.

Sirius settled his ear against the other boy's heart. He could hear it beat fast, too fast. He knew this was from the magic of the curse. If his heartbeat didn't speed up before the moon rose, the transformation might not start correctly, which could mean death. Sirius counted the beats as Hope Lupin had the day Sirius had visited their house last summer. It must have been the afternoon after the transformation. Hope had most likely been checking that the curse had completed its cycle.

Sirius mentally promised his friend's mother that he would count the beats again tomorrow afternoon. But his job at the moment was simply to let the wolf hold him and stroke his hair. It as a hard job (well okay, it was actually pretty nice), but somebody had to do it, especially if it meant Remus returned from the infirmary sooner.

The calm was startled when Frank came into the room muttering about a missing Herbology book. Sirius felt a growl growing in the chest under his ear. He didn't want Frank to know that both of them were in the lycanthrope's bed, so he cast a quick muffling spell and wrapped his arms around Remus.

The wolf quieted immediately. But as Sirius shifted on the bed, he felt something poke him in the side. Reaching underneath him, he pulled out the letter he had received from his mother that morning. He stared at it as Frank left the room. Then the wolf started growling again.

Startled, Sirius stared right into amber eyes. The wolf grabbed the letter from Sirius and ripped it in half. He heard the next tear as the eyes turned hazel. Sirius gasped, but Remus just wrapped his arms around Sirius again. "Even the wolf calls that letter torture."

"But..." Sirius shook his head in confusion. Why was Remus worried about that letter now? Why did he even have it? Sirius had left it under a pile of dirty clothes this morning after his mother's owl had actually ventured to the common room to deliver it. His mother had most likely threatened to kill the animal if it wasn't delivered promptly. 

James had tried to grab the letter from Sirius after he read it. Sirius had kept it away from him. His mother had been especially insulting this time, going as far as to insult his three friends as well. So he had hid the letter.

Remus sighed as he felt the wolf pull at him, this time for a good reason. The wolf had spotted Sirius hiding the letter, so Remus had asked for an extra minute or two before following his friends to their first class. He had sat on the other boy's bed and had let the wolf growl as he read the words. 

He normally didn't allow the wolf into *his* space any more than he had to. The wolf could overtake him easier than other lycanthropes. His father had told him that because he had been so young when Greyback bit him, it had a better sense of how to take over. He had to have more control than the normal werewolf. So he dutifully struggled with it every month. He didn't want to be a beast when he didn't have to be.

But he didn't realize until that moment that the wolf was very much a part of him. It had grown up with him. As he stared at Sirius, Remus realized that the wolf part of him liked his friends and wanted to help them. Especially Sirius. Remus smiled as he realized what the wolf called the other boy. He thought Sirius was beautiful too.

His revelation didn't mean they could be near him during the full moon. The wolf couldn't control the blood-lust then. But they would be safe with the wolf before the moon rose.

So Remus took a chance and called on the wolf to help him help Sirius. His hand carded through dark curls. His voice took on a tone he never heard as he said, "I wouldn't be a very good Marauder if I let you believe the lies your mother writes."

Sirius shuddered as he remembered the words on the parchment. Then he remembered why he was in bed with Remus. "But the wolf..."

"Wants you to learn that you're safe here, with me. With us. Maybe we can help keep each other calm." Remus leaned his cheek against the other boy's forehead, hoping that touch would convey some of the emotions he didn't dare speak of.

It at least allowed Sirius to relax. Which helped ease the tension in the lycanthrope. So they dozed with arms entwined until James and Peter arrived with filled dinner plates for them both.

The trip Remus took with Sirius to the infirmary that evening was the calmest one he ever had. Because for once, he and the wolf agreed on something. The world was a better place with his friends (especially Sirius) in it.


End file.
